In religious ceremonies, such as Christian religious ceremonies, bread (and sometimes, other bread-like food items such as a wafer, a cracker and the like) plays a central role in the "communion" (or "sacrament") portion of the service where a bread-like (solid) food item and a liquid food item such as water, wine or juice is served, typically by a religious leader, to the communicants. As recorded in the New Testament, in the book of Matthew, Chapter 26, verses 26-28:
26. And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. PA1 27. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; PA1 28. For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
The number of congregants involved in a religious service can range from two to thousands or more. In some religious denominations, the two sacramental food items, bread and wine, are dispensed to individuals, typically by only one or a few religious leaders, to one congregant at a time as the congregants approach a designated location in the chapel (church). In other denominations, a tray or trays containing a plurality of servings of the sacramental food items may be passed among the congregants, whereupon they are served or serve themselves.
The present invention is directed to packaging for distribution, purveying, storing, serving and dispensing for consuming individual portions of communion elements (e.g., the sacramental food items of bread and wine).
The following U.S. patents, each of which is incorporated in its entirety herein, are representative of communion containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,849 (1987) discloses a vending package.
The package has dual compartments, a first compartment for a bread item and a second compartment for a liquid item, and is directed toward the packaging of communion elements for use in religious services. The package (10) is generally in the form of a cup. An outer wall (16) extends from a bottom element (18) to a top lip (12). A partition (20) extends across the cup between two points on the outer wall, and extends between the bottom element to the level of the top lip. The partition defines two chambers within the cup: a first chamber (30) for housing liquid; and a second chamber (32) for housing a solid. A cover (28) of a membranous sheet of thermoplastic or thermoplastic-coated paper extends across the opening of the cup and is sealed (e.g., heat-sealed) to the top lip. A pull tab (24) is formed on the periphery of the cover, as an aid in removing the cover.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 291,659 (1987) discloses a communion container which appears (there being no descriptive text in a design patent) to be in the form of a cup with a lid. And the lid appears to have a recess in a central portion thereof, which is closed off by a plastic sheet.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 303,311 (1989) discloses a communion cup bearing what appears to be a raised symbol of the cross on an exterior surface thereof. The cross-symbol appears to be strictly ornamental. No functionality of the cross symbol is suggested by this patent.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 304,514 (1989) discloses a communion cup which appears to have an outer annular open-ended chamber surrounding an inner pedestal having a shallow recess.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 335,382 (1993) discloses an individual holy communion packet which appears to be in the form of a cup having a first screw-on lid, and a second screw-on lid which screws onto the first screw-on lid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,702 (1990) discloses a communion container for containing a portion of wine/grape juice and a portion of bread. A lid is secured about the open mouth of the cup to seal the portion of wine/grape juice within the cup. The bread portion is sealed within a receptacle which is attached to the cup atop the lid. A tab on the lid is positioned beneath the receptacle to prevent inadvertent removal of the lid until the receptacle is opened.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,106 (1993) discloses a compartmental communion container comprising a small open-top cup adapted for containing juice or wine and provided with a substantially flat upper edge or flange. The cup is closed by a two-part (two layer) lid within which communion bread in the form of an edible wafer is received. The top layer of the lid is first removed to access the wafer, and the lower part of the lid is later removed so that a juice or wine within the cup can be taken.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,947 (1978) discloses a nesting cup construction. The cups, in nested condition, each define a recess capable of retaining a dehydrated comestible above a lower wall thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,338 (1982) discloses a compartmented container suited for use in conjunction with administering the sacramental elements during a communion service. A first compartment is substantially cup-like in a form to hold liquid therein. A second compartment is located below the first compartment for holding a communion wafer. See also U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,370 (1983).
The present invention is designed to improve the method of serving and distributing sacramental food items ("Communion") in religious services, retreats and visiting the sick and/or shut-in.
With the rise of communicable diseases and problems with handling food products in un-sanitized areas, the Communion Container of the present invention will be welcomed, as it is pre-filled, disposable, and sanitary, and will take less time from religious services without the time-consuming preparation of preparing for Communion Service. The dual-compartment Communion container of the present invention will fit in the standard Communion serving tray.